New York City Council candidate is accused of forgery over AI-generated posts - ABC News -…

A former New York City Council candidate, Jonathan Rinaldi, has been charged with forgery following allegations that he utilized artificial intelligence to fabricate political endorsements and news articles. The 47-year-old, who ran as a Republican for a Queens seat last year, was arrested and could face up to two years in prison if convicted of the charges, which include third-degree forgery and possession of forged instruments.

What happened

Prosecutors allege that Rinaldi systematically used AI to create deceptive content on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, to influence voters. Among the accused acts was the creation of a fake endorsement from the Queens Jewish Alliance, which utilized the organization’s authentic logo and a legitimate-looking endorsement sheet. In another instance, Rinaldi allegedly fabricated a New York Post story claiming that Council Member Robert Holden had endorsed him. This post featured a doctored photo generated via an AI prompt that instructed the platform to perform a face swap to show the two men shaking hands.

The district attorney’s office further reported that Rinaldi used AI to generate doctored images of his opponent, Lynn Schulman, to damage her standing in specific neighborhoods. Additionally, he allegedly posted AI-generated videos falsely claiming endorsements from public institutions, such as a police precinct and an elementary school, neither of which are permitted to offer political endorsements. While Rinaldi has characterized the legal action as a free-speech issue, District Attorney Melinda Katz emphasized that the defendant used technology to deliberately mislead voters and launch fabricated attacks against his political opponents.